


No One Ever Accused Clint Barton Of Being Subtle

by psychoroach



Series: The Subtle Series [2]
Category: The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Boys Kissing, Developing Relationship, Fluff, Home Improvement, M/M, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Relationship, Shirtless Clint Barton, Shirtless Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 10:46:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16324778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychoroach/pseuds/psychoroach
Summary: Sequel to No One Ever Accused Steve Rogers Of Being Subtle. Clint and Steve stay behind to do some home repairs while Laura takes the kids to visit her mother.





	No One Ever Accused Clint Barton Of Being Subtle

**Author's Note:**

> Read, review, kudos.

Steve moved in with Laura, Clint and their kids not too long after the debacle with the debate with Piers. He had to admit to himself that he felt a disconnect from Brooklyn, and New York in general, and that farm, deep in the heart of Boone, Iowa, felt a lot more like home. Clint retired from the Avengers, not wanting anything to do with being a superhero after the whole Ultron thing, and Tony had disappeared in the wind, only making the odd appearance here and there as well. Natasha was doing God knows what, popping up at the farm every once in a while. Bruce had gone off planet with Thor, settling wherever 'new Asgard' was going to be. He didn't have much reason to stay in the Avengering business anymore and he finally decided to hang up the mantle, both mantles, Captain America and Nomad. He never thought he would do it, but he was tired of the same old crap happening. So he asked both Clint and Laura if he could live with them 'just until I find a place of my own' and Laura rebuffed him with a gentle, but firm 'your place is with us, now move your stuff in'. 

Steve always did seem to attract strong women. 

Everything turned out pretty well, and by the time the kids started their summer break in late May, Steve was a permanent resident. 

Clint was bad to perpetually keep doing repairs on the house, barn and surrounding areas. He privately told Steve one day that he thought that if he went off to 'work' that if he had something he had to come back and finish that the Universe would see fit to let him do it. Steve wasn't sure what to make of that.

But since Clint put Hawkeye and Ronin behind him, Laura was a little less forgiving about all those repairs left undone. Especially a third of the roof having tin on it, and the rest of it with old, outdated, weather worn shingles. So one day after breakfast, she told Clint she was taking the kids to her mother's for two days, and by the time she got back 'that roof better be all tin, and if you're feeling generous, you could even finish the back porch, I'm tired of wondering if one of the kid's is going to go out there and tumble to their death'. Little Nathaniel had started getting way more mobile so Clint simply agreed and as soon as the car disappeared around the bend away from their isolated area of farmland, Clint turned to Steve.

"Are you ready to help with the honey do list?" He asked.

"Honey do list?" Steve made a face at him.

"You know." Clint grinned. "Your wife gives you a list, honey do this...and you do it. A honey do list." 

Steve shook his head. "She's your wife." He pointed out. "But yeah, I figure it'd be in poor taste if I just leave you to it." 

Clint reached over and whacked him on the arm. "You're a good man, Steve Rogers." He quipped.

Steve walked with him out to the barn out back of the property and they managed to find the tin tiles that Clint had started putting up on the roof. Between them, they managed to carry them out in loads and haul them up on the roof. Before long they were in business.

Two hours in, they'd gotten about half the roof done, and the temperature was firmly in the 80's. Clint had paused and brought up a big cooler, stuffed it with beer and he and Steve were having at them, pitching the empty bottles on the ground, Clint promising he'd clean it all up later. Every once in a while Steve heard a yelp come from Clint's yellow Labrador Lucky, and Clint waved off his concern, saying that Lucky, since he had only one eye, had poor depth perception sometimes, but he would dodge in the end. He was mostly just startled by the flying projectile. 

Clint had long abandoned his shirt, his body slick with sweat as he maneuvered the tile into place and after the umpteenth time of Steve wiping sweat from his face using the sleeve of the flannel he had on (Clint called it going from old man to farmer chic), he'd gotten annoyed. Clint watched with an amused look as Steve practically tore the shirt off and tossed it somewhere behind him, leaving him equally as bare chested. "I told you Iowa got hot." He offered innocently.

"You know what, Barton..." Steve grumbled.

Clint just grinned at him.

Once the roof was finished, Clint and Steve got back off of it and went back out to the back porch to sit on the steps and finish off the beer Clint had. Neither man had bothered to put a shirt back on, and when the sun dipped in the sky, they felt the temperature cooling down, cooling their sweat soaked bodies. Neither of them talked about the Avengers, mostly just talking about what Clint needed to get done on the farm, and what he wanted to get done. Steve was surprised that Clint was really knowledgeable about a working farm, and Clint admitted he'd always wanted to retire to one. It was his dream to live completely sustainably, growing crops, having cows to milk. He admitted he wouldn't have the stomach to butcher his own meat, but he figured going to the grocery store for it wouldn't be too much of a hassle.

Eventually both men got hungry and retired inside. They took turns taking showers and when Steve went to his room to put on some clothes, he saw a small stuffed turtle sitting on his pillow, recognizing it as one of Lila's. He dressed in a pair of loose jeans and a novelty Avengers shirt that was dark blue and had a silver A on the front and grabbed up the soft plush turtle. He walked out and found Clint leaning against the wall as he called out for pizza and waited patiently for him to get off the phone. 

Steve held up the stuffed animal once Clint hung the phone up (an old fashioned one that hung on the wall, cord attached that threw Steve for a loop the first time he saw it) and raised his eyebrow. "I think Lila must've been playing in my room." He offered.

Clint smiled at him in that way Steve just knew meant he thought Steve was being an adorable idiot and shook his head. He walked out of the room and a few seconds later he came back clutching a lamb stuffed animal. "These are Lila's two favorite stuffed animals." 

"So why are they here?" Steve asked, wide eyed. "Won't she miss them? Did she accidentally leave them behind?" 

"No." Clint said patiently. "This one was on my pillow. It's...something Lila does. She doesn't like when she's away from me, too many times of me going off to work, not knowing if I'd come back. She's empathetic, like Laura, and knows daddy's work is very...tough. She knows I did important work and may not make it home sometimes. She started leaving me stuffed animals when I needed to head off to whatever. I'd look in my quiver and find one stuffed in it, or in the side pocket of my go bag. I asked her about it once, and she said when she's scared and things seem really tough or bad, her stuffed animals make her feel better and protect her so she wanted them to do the same for me." 

Steve felt a blow hit him in the gut and he felt tears in his eyes, a wave of affection going through him at the thoughtfulness of the middle Barton child.

Clint grinned at him. "I know." He promised. "Her leaving one with you just means she wants you to be ok when she comes home." 

"My God." Steve mumbled. He looked down at the almost featureless turtle, the small black thread eyes staring up at him. "I don't know what to say to that." 

Clint put the little lamb on the couch and took the turtle, putting it beside it. "Don't need to, I understand. Means she feels for you what she does for Laura and I though." 

Steve flushed and ducked his head. "She's a really good kid." 

"Laura and I feel the same, too." Clint said. "We...we talked. We like you a lot, like having you around."

"That's good." Steve replied softly, wondering where this was going.

"We both want you as a boyfriend." Clint said bluntly.

"WHAT?!" Steve yelped, looking at him wide eyed.

"Jeez, can you not go that volume?" Clint winced, rubbing at his ear. "Damn hearing aids, high frequencies kill me, I swear someone at SHIELD made them susceptible to only frequencies dogs can hear just to fuck with me." 

"Clint, get back on track." Steve hissed out. "You...and Laura..." 

"Want you to be our boyfriend." Clint said. "Yeah. I told her that she needed to be the one to bring this up to you, but she insisted I needed to, and used the excuse of the honey do list to get me to do it." 

"I don't know what to say to that." Steve said honestly for the second time that night. 

Clint smiled at him. "It's simple. Do you like us?" 

"Well yeah." Steve said honestly. 

"Do you think you could date us?" Clint asked.

Steve opened his mouth to answer, but then closed it again. He took several seconds to think it over. "I...I like both of you. I think that's part of the reason I came here and accepted Laura telling me to move in so easily. I...it's really nice here, and I feel at home. Both of you...both of you feel like home. I...I guess...yes, I could date you." 

Clint smiled at him and walked over to him. "Good." He said quietly. "Then let me woo you like I did on my and Laura's first date." 

Steve grinned. "You wooed Laura with pizza on your first date?" 

Clint's smile turned into a smirk as he put a hand on Steve's waist. "Nah, I wooed her with my oral skills." 

Steve's eyes only had a second to widen before Clint's lips were on his own and they closed again on their own accord as he pulled Clint closer and leaned into the kiss. 

He had to admit to himself he wasn't sure where all this was going, but for once in his life he just didn't give a fuck, and he was just excited for the journey.


End file.
